Royal Mound 17

Welcome to this magnificent World Heritage site, which showcases the absolute zenith of ancient royal mound construction and the highly sophisticated mortuary traditions of East Asia. Recognized globally for its extraordinary…

An unassuming, low-lying hill covered in dense brush and wild vegetation, long mistaken by local villagers for simple natural terrain, was in fact an extraordinary military armory concealing eleven complete sets of iron armor and…

This compact square tomb, measuring less than forty meters on each side, held an astonishing storehouse of advanced military equipment that easily rivaled the contents of giant imperial mounds exceeding four hundred meters in…

The discovery of eleven complete sets of iron armor buried side by side within a single tomb chamber remains one of the most astonishing breakthroughs in the history of East Asian archaeology. As you stand upon the low stone…

From this central burial chamber, hundreds of iron swords, socketed spears, and iron arrowheads were excavated alongside extraordinary gilt-bronze helmet ornaments that symbolized supreme royal favor and martial distinction. Fix…

Looking out from this panoramic vantage point across the horizon, over one hundred and sixty thousand ancient mounded tombs once sculpted the landscape into a breathtaking sea of monuments spanning more than thirteen hundred…

Our immersive journey through the ancient landscape of Royal Mound 17 and the surrounding Furuichi Kofun Group has now reached its conclusion. Today, we have unraveled the extraordinary saga of a fifth-century military power…